STA. BARBARA – “Every waking day, we will put on one building block and we will build a town that is indeed a model for good and honest government, and a model for peace and prosperity.”

Thus said Mayor Reynaldo Velasco in his inaugural speech last June 30 at the jampacked Daniel Maramba National High School. He vowed to pursue a 10-point agenda, which he presented to the local folks during the campaign period.

Velasco said his 10-point program are “Reform in governance, Education for all, Youth and Sports Development, Values formation and strengthening, Environmental Care and Protection, Livelihood programs and jobs creation, Agricultural Productivity, Social and health services, Community Partnership, and Peace and Order.”

He said that the town will be a model in terms of peace and order.

“Right from the start, we intend to make Sta. Barbara the safest town in Pangasinan, safe to its residents, safe to businessmen, safe to visitors – in their homes, in their place of work and on the streets. But it will be the most dangerous place to criminals. I
advise any criminal, or would-be criminal to leave the town of Sta. Barbara soonest. It is dangerous to your health,” said Velasco, a former three-star policegeneral turned town mayor.

Among others, he also identified top priority agendas in the next three years that include: flood mitigation, irrigation, agricultural productivity.

Velasco said flood control and irrigation system are the two major projects that determine the productivity of the farmers.

In other areas, Velasco said Sta. Barbara’s closeness to the cities of Urdaneta, Dagupan and San Carlos will be exploited in terms of supplying commercial crops and other products.

Housing development, Velasco said, is one strategic business for the fast growing suburb and services which need to be supported and encouraged.

“We intend to invite and encourage more real estate developers to make Sta. Barbara a primary housingdevelopment center in Pangasinan,” he said.

He also disclosed that he will push for the identified airport project on a 500-hactare marginal land along the border of Sta. Barbara and Mapandan specifically in the corridors of Barangays Erfe and Leet which was earlier endorsed by five Pangasinan solons.

Together with Governor Amado T. Espino Jr., Velasco has met with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza to put on track this airport project.

Mendoza has committed to allocate the initial funding for engineering and technical studies for the airport project including
helping the town and the province to look for investors to make this project a reality.

On his first week in office, Velasco has been instilling the value of punctuality as he reports before seven a.m. to show example to the municipal
employees.